QUOTE: THE PROPER OFFICE OF A FRIEND IS TO SIDE WITH YOU WHEN YOU ARE WRONG. NEARLY EVERYBODY WILL SIDE WITH YOU WHEN YOU ARE RIGHT!”

Week two has come and basically gone and all boys now are well and truly back into their regime. I commended the boys how they dealt with the wet week and the changes to last Saturday sport. With the skies clearing, it was good to see them back out on the fields this week to burn up some built up energy.

A Highlight of the week for me was watching the boys putting their Business and entrepreneurial skills to work at the Business Studies Expo. Miss Beatrix Vincz and Mr David Drain ran this day, and the boys were asked to create their own Business venture, advertise it and explain its aim, what it provides and how they would finance and run the operation. A wide variety of ventures evolved such as Adventure Holidays, Restaurants and Hotels, Security, Confectionary, Sports Apparel and Supplements, Street Luge and the customary Personal Training company to name a few. It was great to see the boys being the drivers and propagators of ideas and services and getting out of their comfort zone to push what they believed to be a valuable business venture. Check their work out in the photos.

Our Year 11 Drama students worked tirelessly over the holidays preparing for their performance of the Roy Murphy Show that has been performing this week. A take of the 1970’s Rugby League program, Controversy Corner, under the direction of Mr Patrick O’Shea, saw the cast and crew put on a really enjoyable and humorous production. The cast of Michael Thompson, Jason Ren, Chris Belsey, Brendon Follington, Lawrence Nelmes and Morgan Thomas, along with four talented young ladies from Woolich and the crew of Luke Donlon, Lewis Mullins and Chris Spooner produced a thoroughly enjoyable night’s entertainment. Congratulations to Pat and his cast and crew who capped off an outstanding production.

Week Two was a very busy one for all of our TAS students spending many extra hours in the Wood and Metal work rooms as they put on the finishing touching to their major works for the year. The TAS Display Night is being held tonight and it will present the great work of our students with many a candidate for Young Inventors Awards. The highlight of the night is the Year 12 HSC major works that will certainly provide our Year 11 boys with lots of food for thought. Congratulations must go to the boys for presenting their work so well and to Mr Drewitt-Smith and the TAS Staff for putting on the night.

The Ministry Work of our boys continues again at Matthew Talbot Hostel with Will McManus, Daniel Picone, David Ryan and Lachlan Cairns serving the guests today. Tom Laban is to be commended for fulfilling the important role of Leader of the Yr. 8 group at Colo this week, even more impressive was he did this on his own due to HSC commitments of the Accelerated Maths boys. Chris Spooner gained a second place in the Ryde Eisteddfod on Tuesday, well done.

On Wednesday evening our boys received an Invitation from Father Andrew and Ms Helen Smith to apply for the positions of Acolytes; certainly important roles in leading our College liturgies. Boys were invited to write a letter of application that is due in by Wednesday, 3^rd August for this important role. This is the first sign of our boys now preparing to take over the leadership of the College, as our Year 12 boys become more engrossed in their HSC Trial exams.

At yesterday’s Assembly Ross challenged the boys to consider the tragic events witnessed this last weekend in Norway. He asked us all to pray for the people of this country and the families whose lives have been changed forever by this evil human moment. He implored the boys to, at all times, show dignity and respect for all human life and reject any form of fundamentalism, especially the misguided path taken by some that cannot be described in any other way than evil. Again, this is a time that we give thanks for the world we are fortunate to experience but at the same time not being naïve enough to believe that such evil is not also on our doorstep. Boys should never engage in any form of ideological fundamentalism regardless of how innocuous it may appear to be. This starts in how they act and treat each other in the dorms and classrooms and at all times around the College.

Our Cross-Country team were presented with their competition singlets and well done to Sam Clarke, Matt Hall and Gus Rae for being selected in this team. Congratulations to Tim Palmer for qualifying for the National Cross Country Championships.

Five of our boys achieved High Distinctions in the Australian Schools Geography Competition. 90,000 students from 800 schools took place in this competition and Ross Davey, Joe Duffy, Brendon Follington, Declan O’Donahue and Sean Quigley are to be congratulated on their achievements.

Br Anthony then spoke to the boys and told them of an experience he had when he went to Notre Dame, whilst living in Chicago for a year. Unable to gain a ticket (along with Bill Clinton),  to watch the College Gridiron team play as the 90,000 seat stadium was sold out for the year, Brother went to the pre-match rally the night before the game. Here addressing the crowd of a few thousand Notre Dame supporters, Lou Holtz, highly regarded football coach offered 5 points he believed were fundamental for success:-

• Take pride in making sacrifices.
• Get rid of excuses; too many offer excuses for short comings.
• Stay focused on what you want for extended periods of time.
• Believe in yourself; your team, your teachers. Be trusted to do your job.
• See/imagine yourself being successful, achieving what you want.

Good advice for all the boys.

Tomorrow is Round 4 of the Winter Competition season, with most teams playing Kings so there will be plenty of good tough matches for the troops and tonight our Debaters away at Parramatta. Whilst on this, just a reminder that the fixtures against Riverview has been brought forward in time, so now the 1^st XV match will be at 11:15am with the 2^nd XV at 10.00am and the 1^st X1 will play at 9.00am with the 2^nd X1 match commencing at 8:00am.

Marie Carney, from our Yr 11 Parent reps would like you to pencil the following occasion into your diaries, Friday 5 August we continue the tradition of our Annual Lunch at the Woolwich Pier Hotel.  Please find the attached invitation with details and rsvp to marie@ogormanlawyers.com.au. The RSVP date has been extended to Wednesday 3 August 2011. Thanks to Marie for doing this and hopefully a few can knock off early and make it.

Whilst on gatherings the College Foundation would like to draw your attention to the following Rugby Dinner:

“On Friday, 19 August, St Josephs College Foundation will celebrate 130 years of Joeys achievements at their “Men of Rugby” dinner, and invites you to get join with Matt Burke, Kurtley Beale and other Wallaby and Waratah legends for a fantastic evening. Hosted by award winning Sky News sports reporter James Bracey, guests will be treated to a three course meal, drinks and entertainment. A live auction of a few very special items will also be conducted on the evening.

Tickets to the dinner are $150 per head. A limited number of Premium Tables (seating nine or ten guests) are also available for $2,000, and will be located in a front of house/premium location and include the option of having a special guest (e.g. Wallaby or Waratah player) seated with your guests for the evening. Individual tickets can also be purchased, and if you indicate your son’s year group we will arrange a table for you.

All proceeds from the evening will go towards supporting the St Joseph’s College Capital Appeal: Realising the Vision”.

Tickets can be purchased in two ways:

Online through the Joeys shop

or

Download a booking form

Want more information?

Contact Joanne Wilson (SJC Development Office) on email events@joeys.org or  telephone: +61 2 9816 0958. 

So that ends another week in your sons’ lives, next Monday sees some of our boys sit the Trial HSC Accelerated Maths paper and we wish them all well. Take care, enjoy your weekend with your families.

Regards

Jeremy

QUOTE:  “THANK GOD – EVERY MORNING WHEN YOU GET UP – THAT YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WHICH MUST BE DONE, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. BEING FORCED TO WORK, AND FORCED TO DO YOUR BEST, WILL BREED IN YOU A HUNDRED VIRTUES WHICH THE IDLE WILL NEVER KNOW!”

Dear Parents/Guardians;

Welcome back to the new term and I trust your break with your sons was an enjoyable and productive one. The above quote was most applicable for many of the troops, and yours truly, after a lengthy winters break, but as usual the dorms were humming along again with plenty of energy and enthusiasm after the first night. The boys returned in great spirits well rested and with many stories about their Ministry Week experience, and it has been a full month, with Ministry Week dominating the last week of Term Two, since our boys were in class.  I’m sure the long sleep-ins, and this period of time which the holidays provided, enabled our boys to rejuvenate, refresh and re-group.

Throughout the holidays though many of our boys worked on a whole range of extra-curricula activity from Drama to Sports. Our Year 11 Drama Production spent three days with Mr Pat O’Shea at School in the Drama Theatre with our Ski Team competing as well as our GPS Rugby Representatives having a busy schedule to complete on their way to Australian selection. Congratulations go to Sam Barclay who was selected in the N.S.W. 2^nd XV and Tom Robertson who was selected in the Combined States side to compete in the National Schoolboy Rugby Union Championships in Brisbane. Congratulations also to Josh Schwager for his deserved selection in the N.S.W. U/16 Schools side to compete in this age groups National titles during the next holiday period.  Daniel Hughes qualified for the State Skiing Titles with his outstanding effort in the recent Sydney Interschools Championships at Thredbo.  Many of our Hospitality students completed their Work Placement and once again, it was great to hear the stories the boys told of their experiences.

We are still receiving most complimentary letters about our boys’ efforts while on Ministry Week. I have enjoyed the various anecdotes from the boys after working with the aged, poor or disabled. None more so than the following from Oliver Coorey:

“My Ministry Week was spent at Westmead Hospital, helping with the jobs in the volunteer department and I could not have thought to have gotten so much out of the experience as I did. I helped out in all areas of the hospital; helping people to wards, running messages, helping in the Geriatric and Emergency wards, and all of these areas taught me something that I had not yet realised. I met people who were living with cancer or tumours or other really horrible illnesses and diseases, however these people were among some of the most cheerful and optimistic people I have ever met.

There was a man who played in the Premier League in England, who was in for one of his twice-weekly total blood-transfusions. He told me all about his experience and how he actually was an academic by nature and we spoke for nearly half and hour about mathematics and soccer amongst other things.  I was in awe at how calm he seemed and how interested he was in my opinions and the conversation, even though right next to him, his blood was literally being swapped.

I was taught that happiness is not in health, but rather in the acceptance of the situation. I was taught that if you do look towards the positives and the good that has come of where you are, then it is always easier to be happy in that place. I learnt that in the most depressing situations there is always a way to remove the sadness and I learnt that the most important key to happiness is not in the wealth or self-gain, but rather in the giving back to others, even portionally so much that they have given to you”.

Well done to all our boys on doing so well. Some of the stories, though not proclaiming great enjoyment, have really pushed our boys out of their comfort zones, in working with the aged and people less fortunate then themselves. I do hope the stories you shared with your son’s experience were enlightening for what has been a most successful experience. Many thanks must go to Ms. Helen Smith, Mrs. Mary Fogarty and Fr. Andrew, for organising this tremendous initiative.

The Ministry Work still continues as we resume again at Matthew Talbot Hostel with Andrew O’Neill, Dom Price, Lewis Mullins and Jackson Whiting serving the guests this Friday night.

Despite these holiday activities, at our Year meeting yesterday, Darren and I stressed the importance of starting well and getting immediately into their solid routines as this is their last term of Year 11, concluding with their HSC Preliminary Course Examinations. This time next term the boys will have commenced their Year 12 studies and starting well will be imperative. In saying this, we also want the boys to enjoy the journey, set realistic but challenging goals and keep a well balanced approach to their remaining terms here at Joeys. They must also remember that they are never alone in this exciting time for them, and there are many here on hand who will do whatever they can to help your son along the way.

At our Headmaster’s Assembly today Ross returned after taking a break during term two, which allowed him to not only spend more time with Lorna, but head overseas and see how other Boarding Schools run. And, whilst enjoying this experience, he added, he was very glad to be home!  Ross pointed out to the boys, that during his time away one thing which interested him was observing the young people and what it was that made them happy….. the simple things. Simple things enjoyed and the simplest things done well. Walking home at night in Morocco and watching groups of youngsters playing with a flat soccer ball, other children playing cards and other simple games, all having a great time. He encouraged our boys to concentrate on finding joy in the simple things in life. He also encouraged the boys to focus not on what we can’t do, but on what we can do…… in our relationships, class and sport and all the time appreciate greatly what we have and the greatest joy is often found in the simplest of moments in our lives. Wise words for all our boys.

We also welcomed our six new Gap students from England and Ireland. This is a wonderful opportunity that our boys can apply for next year. Fifteen of our Class of 2010 are spending this year helping at varying schools all over the UK. It is becoming increasingly popular and not a bad way to spend their first year out of school as they decide what path they may take in their future.

Our 1^st Debating Team were presented with their ties at the Assembly as they commence their first round against Grammar tonight. Special congratulations must go to Harry Maher for his selection in the 1^st Team. Tim Litherland, Hamish Elliot and Max Hall are also to be congratulated on their selection in the 2^nd Debating Team. We wish all of our Debaters the best of luck for their GPS season.

Nine of our boys were then presented with their Defence Technical Scholarship, which is awarded to Year 11 and 12 students, intending to pursue an ADF general entry technical trade career after completing Year 12. Year 11 recipients will receive $2000, paid over two semesters and successful Year 12 students will receive $3000, paid over two semesters. 2000 such scholarships were awarded, so the following boys did remarkably well – Anthony Baker, Alex Beasley, Declan O’Donahue, Andrew O’Neill, Daniel Picone, Peter Ritter, Max Westacott, Curtis Witt and Christian Zizza.

With this deluge that has hit over the past few days there may be some changes to the competition round with Grammar tomorrow. I will keep you informed with any such changes, but in the meantime do your best to stay warm and dry and have an enjoyable weekend.

Regards

Jeremy